Archives

Preparing

Remove the skin from the catfish by making a cut all around the head, following the contours of the gill covers. Holding the fish by the head, use pliers to pull the skin off. Cut out the portions of fin that remain. Remove the head and entrails. Fillet the fish to prepare for cooking.

Cooking

Pan-fried

Preheat your stove top pan at medium-high with a small amount of oil or butter. Lay the catfish fillets in the pan when you hear the oil start to crackle. Spread your seasoning on the top side, after a few minutes flip the fillet and do the same to the other side. I like to keep it simple with black pepper and cajun spices.

Deep-fried

This southern specialty works best if you cut each catfish fillet in half.

In a small dish, combine one half cup of cornmeal, black pepper, and salt. Mix until consistent.

Ingredients

8 medium potatoes

1 carrot

1 onion

8 slices of bacon

8 Irish pork sausages

pinch of black pepper

pinch of dried thyme

small bunch of fresh parsley

stock

Preparation

Put sausages, sliced carrot, sliced peeled onion and bacon (cut in bite sized pieces) in enough stock (pork, chicken or vegetable) to cover them in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, add herbs and seasoning and simmer for 30 minutes. Peel and halve the potatoes and add to Dutch oven for final 20 minutes or until they are tender. Serve with home made Irish soda bread and Guinness Stout.

Having grown up in Wyoming, I had never had these until I moved to Virginia. Now one of my all time favorites and this is a great time of year to make this dish.

Ingredients

Oil

4 green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch rings

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon garlic powder

4 eggs

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

Pinch cayenne pepper

Pinch paprika

Buttermilk Dipping Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

In a deep-fryer, preheat oil to 350 degrees F.

Season tomatoes, on both sides, with salt and pepper. Place flour and garlic powder in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, beat eggs with the milk. In another dish, mix bread crumbs with cayenne and paprika. Dredge tomatoes through the flour, then the eggs, and then through the bread crumbs. Add only a few pieces to the fryer at a time, so they can cook evenly, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Last year we posted some civil war hardtack recipes. This year we offer one from Sweden.

Recipe Ingredients

2 cups plain yogurt

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup light cooking oil

6 cup flour, with more for rolling dough(either all rye or 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 rye)

1 teaspoon salt

sesame seeds

Cooking instructions

Mix all ingredients, knead tills smooth, refrigerate an hour or more.
Roll 1 lb. dough to square 16 ” dia., trim edges to make smooth square, cut with pizza cutter or knife to make 16 crackers.
Bake on cookie sheet at 375 degrees F. for ~14 min., rotating trays(if using two or more) midway.
Cool and wrap groups of 8 or 10 crackers first in foil, then plastic bag.
Bake till just browning or they will be brittle. If done well they will keep a long time and not break apart.

Separate one hog’s head into halves. Remove eyes and brains. Scrape head and clean thoroughly. Place in a large kettle and cover with 4 or 5 quarts of cold water. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours, or until meat falls from bones. Skim grease carefully from the surface; remove meat and chop fine and return to liquor. Season with salt, pepper and sage to taste. Sift in corn meal, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened to the consistency of soft mush. Cook slowly for 1 hour over low heat. When sufficiently cooked, pour into greased oblong pans and store in a cool place until ready to use. Cut in thin slices and fry until crisp and brown. Makes 6 pounds.

I grew up in Wyoming and these were my favorite dessert. If you want to make this for your troop, make the dough a day before and let it rise in the fridge. Wrap in plastic and pack in the cooler. Be sure to pack the honey and cinnamon!

3 c. flour

1 pkg. dry yeast

1 Cup warm water

6 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. melted butter or oil

1 egg, beaten

Sift flour into bowl
make a well in center of flour
add salt & sugar
pour warm water into well
sprinkle yeast over water & let set
long enough for yeast to dissolve
add egg & butter
Mix until a dough is formed
continue working with hands until
flour is all incorporated into dough
Cover dough with cloth & let rise
until double in size
Punch down & knead lightly until dough
has a smooth texture
Cover & let rest/rise about 15 min.
Roll dough out to about 1/2″ thick
Cut into 2-3″ squares
you can use a cookie/biscuit cutter, but, I find that a waste
place in oil heated to 350 degrees
Place as many as will fit in your fryer without over crowding
When brown turn over & let other side brown
They will puff up!
Drain on paper towel
Can be served warm with honey or powdered sugar
They are great with pinto beans
Bite the corner off & fill with beans, honey or
your choice of ingredient

2 sticks butter (margarine will not work, and it definitely affects the flavor)

Ground Cinnamon

Line a cast-iron Dutch oven with wide heavy-duty aluminum foil. (This is the only recipe I have that is not cooked straight in the Dutch Oven.)

Pour in one can of pie filling and spread it around. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cake mix over the pie filling.
Dot evenly with 1 stick butter cut into small pieces. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Repeat, taking care not to disturb the cake layer when spooning (carefully) the pie filling in for the next layer.

Have hot coals ready. Place Dutch oven over about 7-9 coals and put 18-22 hot coals on the lid. Check in about 10 minutes. If it is doing nothing, add more coals to the top and make sure there is air flow to the coals on the bottom. If is it just starting to show signs of the butter melting, leave it alone. If the butter is melted, and it is bubbling, remove 1-2 coals from the bottom, and 2-4 from the top. Check again in another 10 minutes. It should cook evenly, with cherry pie filling starting to bubble up from the bottom. Adjust coals to maintain even temperature.
Check again after another 10 minutes (total time now 30 minutes). Should look about done, dark top, melted butter, some bubbles of pie filling from the bottom.

DO NOT TEST WITH TOOTHPICK! This is fudgy and will always come out sticky!! Go by looks. If it doesn’t look done, tap the ash off the coals on top, add 2-4 more and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO LET IT BURN!! Cook more from the coals on top, less from the bottom, as the higher the bottom heat, the more likely the pie filling will scorch. This comes out kind of fudgy/cakey, and is always a big hit!

TIPS: Aluminum Dutch ovens tend to get too hot or not maintain an even enough temperature for this. Cast-iron really works best.
You must use aluminum foil unless you are into sand- blasting your Dutch ovens!! The sugar in the pie filling caramelizes on the bottom and gets like concrete! The aluminum foil saves time and headaches for cleaning – especially when it’s already late at night and you have to get up and make Dutch Oven Breakfast with the same oven in the morning!!!

Pour 3 quarts of water into a large, heavy-duty roasting pan set over two burners or into a large kettle, such as a lobster or crab pot. Add onions, garlic, seafood seasoning (yes, 1/2 cup is the correct amount) and salt to taste. Squeeze lemon juice into the stock, then toss lemon halves into the pan or pot.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and kielbasa; return to a boil. Cover pan with foil or partially cover pot with lid. Reduce heat and simmer, cooking until potatoes are just tender, 20 minutes.

Add corn; increase heat to medium-high and cook, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes longer. Stir shrimp into hot broth; let stand, covered, until they are just cooked, about 2 minutes longer.

Serve seafood, sausage and veggies on one or two large platters, with lemon wedges and small bowls of melted butter for dipping.

Preparation Instructions

In a separate bowl pour flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Add shortening and butter and work mixture together with a pastry blender (or your fingers) until the mixture is coarse. Measure ½ cup milk, add an egg, and mix together. Pour into flour mixture, stirring as you go. Mixture should be smooth and not dry, but not over stickly.

Take clumps of dough and place them on top of the blackberries. Lightly flatten dough with your fingertips. Sprinkle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar and bake until golden for 30 minutes. Berry juice will be slightly thin, but don’t be afraid. It will gradually soak into the biscuity topping and make your life complete.